China hails ‘new progress’ in crackdown on corruption
BEIJING (Reuters) – China hailed its crackdown on corruption on Friday, saying “new progress and achievements” had led to a 13.3 percent increase in the number of people punished last year.
Hollande considers legal action over actress liaison report
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande has complained of breach of privacy and is considering legal action after French magazine Closer alleged he was having an affair with an actress, a source in his office said on Friday.
Karzai not seen meeting U.S. deadline on security deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. efforts to persuade Afghan President Hamid Karzai to sign a long-term security agreement according to Washington’s timetable will likely fail, the lead American negotiator has warned the Obama administration, the Washington …
India’s main opposition party debates scrapping income tax as poll nears
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s main opposition party is considering a measure to scrap, or reduce, income tax as a plank in an election manifesto designed to win over crucial middle-class and urban voters before a national election due by May.
U.S. forces accidentally kill Afghan boy, strain ties further
KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. forces in Afghanistan have accidentally shot dead a four year old boy, Afghan officials said on Friday, the latest violence to strain ties between the uneasy allies.
China says opposed to U.S. criticism of fishing rules
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Friday that it opposed criticism by the United States that new Chinese fishing restrictions in disputed waters in the South China Sea were “provocative and potentially dangerous”.
China mulls national pollution permit trading system
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will look into establishing a nation-wide trading system for pollution permits as part of efforts to use market mechanisms to help clean up its environment, the country’s top environment official said.
U.S. presses sides in South Sudan to sign pact to cease hostilities
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Thursday urged both sides in the deadly conflict in South Sudan to sign an agreement to cease hostilities immediately.
Singapore supermarket tycoon’s mother abducted in rare kidnap case
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Two men were charged with kidnapping on Friday in Singapore after the elderly mother of a supermarket tycoon was abducted and held for ransom, a rare instance in a country that prides itself on its low crime rate.
Norway says F-35 jet on track; keeping eye on costs
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Norway’s defense minister on Thursday said the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter program is on the right track after a major restructuring in 2010, with the cost of the new stealth warplane coming down and most technical issues s…
